Local Elections May 2019

Not long now until the next local elections (May 2nd) and It’s Our City! are being asked what do we think about them this year?

Well we’ve thought long and hard and have decided that our focus at this time must remain on the Sheffield People’s Petition for a Committee System until the deadline of August 24th.

Please sign here if you haven’t already: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sheffield-peoples-petition

Never miss an opportunity though!

However! IOC! members feel it is still important that our future councillors are able to work towards a representative and transparent council that works for the benefit of our communities, and therefore we would like to encourage you to ask your candidates what they think about these questions based on our community developed pledges of 2018? Because if they don’t hear it from you, then they won’t know how important these things are to you and how to represent you for the next four years.
As our current campaign is aiming to change SCC’s style of governance to a Committee System perhaps that could be one of the main messages of your correspondence with your candidates?

Suggested questions:

Question 1 – the move to a Committee System

  • Do you support, and would you work toward, SCC adopting a refreshed Committee-type system of governance that would allow proper public scrutiny, consideration of evidence and an active, meaningful and valued role for all elected Councillors in Sheffield?
  • Do you agree that local democracy needs to be opened up and improve transparency and accountability to the people of Sheffield?

Question 2 – on representing your ward constituents

  • Will you actively listen to the people of Sheffield, with care and respect at all times?
  • Will you act in residents’ interests first, not those of your political party (or the Council Cabinet), and uphold and not misrepresent resident views?
  • Do you support genuine consultation and involvement, to bring trust and ‘reconnect’ the Council and those it serves?

Question 3 – Building a resilient city

  • Will you work to make the Council genuinely more collaborative?
  • Will you aim to promote and assist work that builds on the strengths (and heritage) of Sheffield, by connecting local talent, expertise and dynamism with funding opportunities and other resources?

Question 4 – Outsourcing contracts

  • What is your view of PFI and other long term contracts and spending public money with private profit-making, companies?
  • How will you ensure that the interests of Sheffield are protected and prioritised?

Question 5 – Conduct

  • You will know that you are bound by the Nolan Principles of public office: do you acknowledge that these qualities haven not been in evidence enough in recent times and will you aim to fulfil them as they should be carried out?

 

Candidates

These are the candidates that have been announced, and their contact details as far as we can find.
Some candidates may not have an email in the public domain anyway, so we suggest that you contact their main party email with your named candidate and ‘Sheffield Local Elections’ in the subject line so that it can be forwarded to them.
Please update us with any email addresses that you find so that we can add to this table.

Political Party Email Addresses

We would be happy to be updated, corrected and informed on any of this information, so if you know of more direct email addresses please do let us know.

Candidate Email Addresses

You can download the list of our suggested questions and the full list of candidates by clicking here